Ground controlled rocket missiles



1966 J. c. SIMPSON 3,266,423

GROUND CONTROLLED ROCKET MISSILES Filed June 19, 1962 2 ShGGLS-SI'IGGD l lNvENroR James C. SmnPsoN mu/R130 c k Quad k +UATsaN A'r TORNEYS g 16, 1956 J. c. SIMPSON 3,266,423

GROUND CONTROLLED ROCKET MISSILES Filed June 19, 1962 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVEN'roR JAMES C. Sam son:

ATTORNEYS United States This invention relates to ground-controlled rocket missiles of the type controlled in flight by signals transmitted from a ground station to the missile through control wires trailing behind the missile. In such missiles it is necessary for the main supply of control wire to be carried by the missile in flight and withdrawn rearwardly from the missile as required, so that the trailing leads are substantially stationary in the air, and the whole length of trailing wire which has been paid out does not hinder the change of course of the missile during in flight, as would be the case if the supply of control wires was on the ground and the wire was drawn off from this stationary supply by the flying rocket as required.

The present invention is concerned with providing an improved form of wire dispenser Which can be mounted in the missile body and from which the trailing leads will be withdrawn in flight as required.

According to the present invention a control wire dispenser for a rocket missile comprises a generally cylindrical hollow multi-layer winding of multi-core electric conductor wire on a cylindrical former, the trailing edge of the winding being of frustoconical form, and the outer layer or layers of the winding being impregnated with adhesive to anchor them and being enclosed in an external skin of a readily-ruptured material such as paper.

Thus when the missile is fired, the wire will be progressively ripped off the exterior of the winding layer by layer as required, but the withdrawal of the outer layer of the winding will be retarded by the paper covering or other outer skin, which is progressively stripped away with the wire, thereby preventing the wire being paid out too quickly. During the initial stages of flight after launching, the rocket efflux is travelling rearwa-rdly at high velocity and tends to catch the trailing leads and rip them off the dispenser much more quickly than is actually required to correspond to the forward speed of the rocket. However the retarding action of the paper or other outer skin serves to prevent or reduce this undesirable effect. Once the rocket has approached its final speed of flight, the rearward velocity of the efllux relatively to the ground is very greatly reduced and the tendency for the wire to be pulled off too quickly no longer arises, so that the retarding effect of the paper is no longer required. For this reason, once the outer layer together with the paper cover has all been pulled off, a further retarding effect is not required and the succeeding layers of the winding can be pulled off freely as required.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the last-wound few yards of electric wire of the winding, which will be withdrawn first from the missile dispenser when the missile is fired, are wound in one or more auxiliary coils not conforming to the general helical Winding pattern of the main body of the winding, the auxiliary coil or coils being secured coaxially with the main winding on or adjacent to the tapered rear portion.

This modification of the dispenser is designed to release the first few yards of lead more freely after the missile has been fired, to allow the missile to make an extremely abrupt change of course immediately after launching, for example through a complete right angle, without hindering the free withdrawal of the wire from the dispenser. Such abrupt changes of course within the first 10 or 12 atent ice yards of the missiles flight may be imposed by operational requirements in order that the missile may be directed at a target appearing in a direction at right angles to that in which the missile was set up on its launching point.

Thus in one such arrangement the or each auxiliary coil is formed as a spiral winding mounted on the tapered rear end portion of the main winding and secured thereon by a rupturable connection, for example an outer skin of resin-impregnated paper. Preferably the auxiliary spiral winding is wound before the resin impregnant of the tapered rear end of the main winding has set.

Such an arrangement may conveniently be applied in a case where the tapered end portion of the main winding is of stepped form, successive layers of the main winding being successively stepped back at their rear ends. In such a case the or each auxiliary coil is wound coaxially on one or more of the steps of the main winding and secured by a resin-impregnated-paper or other rupturable connection.

In another arrangement two auxiliary coils may be provided, formed as helical layers each about six turns wide, and wound one on top of the other on the untapered outer surface of the main winding close to the commencement of the tapered end portion. The outer coil is retained by a layer of resin-bonded paper.

In yet another arrangement employing auxiliary coils, the cylindrical shell or bobbin on which the main winding is wound is formed with a rearwardly directed extension snout of cylindrical or tapered form, which projects axially beyond the tapered rear end of the main winding, and the auxiliary coils are wound in two superimposed layers each about six turns wide on the snout and are secured as by resin-impregnated paper.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the last-wound few yards of electric wire which will be withdrawn first from the dispenser after launching are wound in a pancake winding whose coils are secured by a rupturable connection on one side of the outer main winding, for example on its outer cylindrical surface.

Thus during the initial period of flight of the missile after launching, the wire which is being withdrawn rearwardly from the dispenser will be pulled from substantially a single region of the periphery of the main winding, instead of being pulled from a region which progressively moves around the circumference of the main winding as the individual helical turns are pulled off. This aids the clean release of the cable from the dispenser during violent changes of direction such as may occur during the initial period after launching, and also facilitates the launching at a wide angle from the general direction of ultimate flight 0f the missile.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but certain specific embodiments will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a sectional elevation of a wire dispenser for mounting in a guided rocket missile of the type specified,

FIGURES 2 to 4 are fragmentary views of a dispenser generally similar to that of FIGURE 1 but having modified forms of winding, and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a dispenser having another modified form of winding including an auxiliary pancake coil.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, the wire dispenser generally indicated at 10 comprises an openended tubular former 11 of cylindrical shape made of sheet metal and mounted in the body of the missile (not shown). The former 11 is mounted behind the rocket motor of the missile, and the jet nozzle of the motor protrudes through the interior of the former. The rear edge of the former 11 is folded inwardly for stiffening purposes as shown at 12, and the former is provided at its leading edge with an integral mounting flange 12A.

A winding 13 of four-core unsleeved but enamelled fine electric cable is applied around the cylindrical outer surface of the former 11 as follows. First two layers of wax paper are wound around the former 11, and the initial 6 inches of the cable is provided with an insulating sleeve 14 of polyvinyl chloride tubing and a suitable connector plug (not shown) is secured to its free end. The former 11 is now wound with 22 successive helically-wound layers of the unsleeved wire, each layer being approximately three turns shorter than the previous layer so that the two end portions of the winding 13 are of tapered frustoconical form as indicated at 15 and 16, to aid the free release of the coils from the winding when the wire is pulled rearwardly during the flight of the missile.

The penultimate layer of the winding is painted with a thin coat of synthetic resin varnish, for example comprising equal parts of versamid polyamide and Epikote 828. Whilst the resin coating is still wet a layer of tissue paper 17 is wound around the penultimate layer, and then the final layer 18 of the winding is wound around the tissue paper 17, painted with the resin varnish, and coated with an outer skin 19 of paper impregnated with the epoxy polyamide resin. A layer of the resin varnish is painted on to the tapered end 16 of the winding at its rear end only, and then the wound assembly is cured at 50 C. for 12 hours.

After curing, the free end 20 of the cable is sleeved with polyvinyl chloride tubing 21 and is lead to a suitable anchorage, for example of the bollard type forming the subject of the present applicants copending application Serial No. 203,147, filed June 18, 1962. Beyond the anchorage device, the individual strands of the cable 20 can be separated out, separately sleeved and provided with appropriately identified terminals, for connection to the outputs of the ground controller and firing mechanism.

In the modified arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 2, the main winding 13 is wound as before on the generally cylindrical former 11 and is secured by an outer layer 19 of resin-impregnated paper. In this case however the free end 20 of the cable is not taken straight off the outer-most layer 18 of the main winding, but is wound in a spiral auxiliary coil 30 on the resin-coated fursto-conical face of the tapered rear end 16 of the main winding. The spiral auxiliary coil 30 is wound in position before the resin coating of the tapered end 16 is set, and is secured in position by means of a rupturable frusto-conical outer skin 31 of resin-impregnated paper. The free end 20 of the cable is taken off the reduced-diameter extreme end of the spiral auxiliary coil 30, and is sleeved at 21 and led to the anchorage as before.

In a modification (not illustrated) of the arrangement of FIGURE 2, the tapered rear end portion of the main winding 13 instead of being frusto-conical may be of stepped form, successive layers of the main winding being successively stepped back at their rear ends, and the spiral auxiliary coil 30 is mounted on the steps thus formed and secured by a rupturable connection such as a layer of resin-impregnated paper.

In the arrangement of FIGURE 3, in which the tapered rear end 16 of the main winding 13 is of unstepped frustoconical form, a double-layer auxiliary coil 40 is provided in the form of two helically wound layers each about 6 turns wide and wound one on top of the other on the untapered cylindrical outer surface of the main winding 13 close to the commencement of the tapered rear end 16. The outer layer of the auxiliary coil 40 is retained by a rupturable layer of resin-impregnated paper 41, and the free end 20 of the cable is led rearwardly away from the auxiliary coil 40.

In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 4, the former 11 protrudes at its rear end beyond the main winding 13 in the form of a snout 50, which in this case is of cylindrical external form but might be tapered, and the auxiliary coil 51 is wound as a double-layer helical winding on the cylindrical outer surface of the snout 50 close to the extreme end of the main winding 13. The two layers of the auxiliary coil 51 are each about six turns wide, and the outer layer is secured by a rupturable skin 52 afforded for example by a layer of resin-impregnated paper.

In each of the arrangements of FIGURES 2 to 4 the wire leaves the outermost layer 18 of the main winding 13 at the rear end of the layer 18, and in the arrangements of FIGURE 2 and 3 it is led directly to the adjacent start of the auxiliary coil 30 or 40 respectively. In the arrangement of FIGURE 4 however it is necessary to lead the wire straight down the tapered rear portion 16 of the main winding from the outermost layer 18 to the start of the auxiliary coil 51, as indicated at 53.

'If however it is required to terminate the outermost layer 18 of the main winding at the forward end of the winding, then the wire leaving the forward end of the layer 18 may be led in a long-pitch spiral around the body of the main winding to the start of the auxiliary coil.

The auxiliary coils 30, 40 and 51 of the arrangements of FIGURES 2 to 4 respectively are intended to facilitate the free release of the initial few yards of the wire immediately after the launching of the missile, especially during any violent changes of direction which may then occur. The embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 5 shows another arrangement of auxiliary coil for this purpose. In this case the auxiliary coil takes the form of a flattened spiral coil 60 of the pancake type, which is secured in a position on one flank of the main winding 13, the pancake coil 60 being impregnated with a synthetic resin varnish which holds it together and causes it to adhere to the cylindrical surface of the main winding. The cable leaves the outermost helical layer of the main winding at its forward end, and is brought in a long-pitch spiral 62 around the cylindrical body of the main winding to the start of the pancake coil 60. The pancake coil 60 is wound inwardly from its start, and at its finish the cable is led from the central portion of the coil 60 rearwar-dly of the dispenser 10 as indicated at 63 for connection to the ground control anchorage device.

To hold the pancake coil 60 in position prior to launching of the missile, a circular outer cover disc 61 of resin-impregnated paper is stuck over the outside of the pancake winding 60 and to the outer surface of the main winding 13. The spiral pancake winding 60 tears itself free from the paper disc 61 as the wire is initially pulled from the dispenser immediately on launching.

In other respects the arrangement of the dispenser 10 is similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 1.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In a rocket missile having a rearwardly directed jet tube, a control wire dispenser comprising a generally cylindrical former surrounding the jet tube, a multi-layer main winding of successive turns of electric conductor wire wound coaxially on and around the former, the main winding having a trailing edge of frustoconical form, the conductor wire having a trailing end which extends rearwardly from the former and said wire paying out from the exterior of the main winding during missile flight, successive turns of the main winding being pulled off the exterior of the winding in the rearward direction during said paying out, and said main winding having restraining means tending to retard the paying out of the outer turns of the wire during flight, said restraining means comprising a layer of adhesive impregnating the said outer turns of the main winding and an external skin of readily rupturable material enclosing and adhering to the exterior surface of the main Winding, the said sk-in being progressively ruptured as successive outer turns of the main winding are pulled off in flight, and means operable during violent changes of direction of the missile immediately upon launching to limit the initial unwinding rate of wire paid out from said dispenser while permitting normal flight of the missile comprising the provision of extra auxiliary coils of the conductor wire wound separately from the main winding and attached thereto by securing means which is readily released for unwinding by tension in the trailing end of the wire which passes about said frustoconical trailing edge during said violent changes of direction.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 Whose former comprises an open-ended cylindrical tube made of sheet material, at least one end of which is folded over to provide a reinforcing ring.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim -1 in which the an tern-a1 skin is made of resin-impregnated paper.

4-. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which each auxiliary coil is secured coaxially with the main winding in the region of its trailing frustoconical edge.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4 in which each auxiliary coil is formed on the frustoconical tapered end portion of the main Winding and secured thereon by a rupturable connection.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5 in which the rupturable connection comprises an outer skin of resinimpregnated paper.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5 in which the tapered end portion of the main winding is of stepped form, and in which each auxiliary coil is formed as a spinal Winding on the steps.

8. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in Which each auxiliary coil comprises a flat spiral Winding whose coils are secured by a rupturable connection on one side of the outer cylindrical surface of the main winding.

9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 8 in which the flat spiral winding is covered by a skin of resin-impregnated paper.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,672,844 6/ 1928 Boyd 242165 2,639,873 5/ 1953 Smith 24Z165 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,772 1/ 1847 France. 1,233,893 5/1960 France.

OTHER REFERENCES German application, 1,019,184, November 7, 1957.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

o SAMUEL FEINBERG, Examiner.

R. V. LOTIMANN, R. S. STAHL, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A ROCKET MISSILE HAVING A REARWARDLY DIRECTED JET TUBE, A CONTROL WIRE DISPENSER COMPRISING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL FORMER SURROUNDING THE JET TUBE, A MULTI-LAYER MAIN WINDING OF SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR WIRE WOUND COAXIALLY ON AND AROUND THE FORMER, THE MAIN WINDING HAVING A TRAILING EDGE OF FRUSTOCONICAL FORM, THE CONDUCTOR WIRE HAVING A TRAILING END WHICH EXTENDS REARWARDLY FROM THE FORMER AND SAID WIRE PAYING OUT FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE MAIN WINDING DURING MISSILE FLIGHT, SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF THE MAIN WINDING BEING PULLED OFF THE EXTERIOR OF THE WINDING IN THE REARWARD DIRECTION DURING SAID PAYING OUT, AND SAID MAIN WINDING HAVING RESTRAINING MEANS TENDING TO RETARD THE PAYING OUT OF THE OUTER TURNS OF THE WIRE DURING FLIGHT, SAID RESTRAINING MEANS COMPRISING A LAYER OF ADHESIVE IMPREGNATING THE SAID OUTER TURNS OF THE MAIN WINDING AND AN EXTERNAL SKIN OF READILY RUPTURABLE MATERIAL ENCLOSING AND ADHERING TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE MAIN WINDING, THE SAID SKIN BEING PROGRESSIVELY RUPTURNED AS SUCCESSIVE OUTER TURNS OF THE MAIN WINDING ARE PULLED OFF IN FLIGHT, AND MEANS OPERABLE DURING VIOLENT CHANGES OF DIRECTIONS OF THE MISSILE IMMEDIATELY UPON LAUNCHING TO LIMIT THE INITIAL UNWINDING RATE OF WIRE PAID OUT FROM SAID DISPENSER WHILE PERMITTING NORMAL FLIGHT OF THE MISSILE COMPRISING THE PROVISION OF EXTRA AUXILIARY COILS OF THE CONDUCTOR WIRE WOUND SEPARATELY FROM THE MAIN WINDING AND ATTACHED THERETO BY SECURING MEANS WHICH IS READILY RELEASED FOR UNWINDING BY TENSION IN THE TRAILING END OF THE WIRE WHICH PASSES ABOUT SAID FRUSTOCONICAL TRAILING EDGE DURING SAID VIOLENT CHANGES OF DIRECTION. 